The Hang Clean Challenge

Tap into the power of Olympic weight lifting and increase your gains

March 07, 2013

Darren Sproles may be the smallest player on the football field, but the 5-foot-6, 190-pound Saints running back always makes a big impact. "Sproles amasses huge numbers of total yards each season because he is quicker and stronger than the opponents towering over him, " says Todd Durkin, C.S.C.S., author of The IMPACT! Body Plan and Sproles' trainer. "Pound for pound, he is an animal."

One key to Sproles' success: the barbell hang clean, a simplified version of an official Olympic lift. "No other move rivals the hang clean for for increasing coordination, explosiveness, and total-body strength," says Durkin. That's because every repetition takes only a second or two to complete. This allows you to target your fast-twitch muscle fibers, which are the ones with the greatest potential for size and strength. Plus, the move includes triple extension—fully extending your ankles, knees, and hips—which imitates sprinting and jumping in sports.

Here's how to do it: Stand grasping a barbell just beyond your shoulders, using an overhand grip. Bend at your hips and knees, letting the bar hang above your knees. This is the starting position. Explode up, shrug your shoulders, and roll your wrists back to “catch” the bar at your shoulder girdle. Reverse the bar back down to the starting position. That's 1 rep. Do 30. Your goal should be to perform the move as quickly as possible while always maintaining proper form and control of the bar at all times.

Ready to try it? Durkin completed 30 reps in 2 minutes and 26 seconds with a 25-pound plate on each side of the bar (95 pounds total). When Sproles did the challenge, he performed 30 reps in 34 seconds with a 45-pound plate on each side of the bar (135 pounds). Can you beat one of them or both of them? Let us know how you did in the comments below.